Europe Economics Weekly German engine can’t power euro-zone recovery While the German economy expanded by an impressive 0.8% in Q1, this failed to spur growth elsewhere in the euro-zone and the region's GDP rose by just 0.2%. Possible explanations for this are the fact... 19th May 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly The unhelpful divergence between France and Germany Data released last week suggested that the euro-zone recovery gained more traction at the start of Q2. But there remains a worrying divergence between France and Germany which risks holding back the... 28th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Negative rates are no silver bullet on their own A negative interest rate on banks' excess reserves at the ECB might have some effect on banks' behaviour and at least prove that the ECB is prepared to follow its dovish words with action. But it must... 21st April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update France’s reform effort inches forward Although France’s short-term outlook remains weak, the new French Government’s recent policy announcements provide hope that France is slowly tackling its significant competitiveness problems. 16th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deflation dangers persist The recovery in the European economy appears to have picked up a bit of speed in the early months of 2014. The euro-zone now looks set to expand by 1% or more this year, a significant improvement on... 10th April 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Focus Is France resolving its problems? France is beginning to tackle its long-standing economic problems. Although a weak labour market and additional fiscal austerity will weigh on the economy this year, growth should pick up in 2015... 31st March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stars still aligned for more ECB support Despite last week's stronger than expected euro-zone inflation figures, the combination of still very weak price pressures, the strong euro and recent falls in liquidity in the banking sector still... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update France gets to grips with its structural problems, slowly The new “responsibility pact” is a step forward for the French economy. Taken together with other planned measures, France is now slowly tackling some of its structural problems. 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Are investors starting to shun Paris? Perhaps unsurprisingly given the weak state of the French economy, the Ile-de-France office occupier downturn stepped up a notch in 2013. More notable, though, was the fall in the investment volume... 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deflation dangers cast shadow over recovery The European economy looks set for another year of weak growth in 2014, with the euro-zone likely to do little more than stagnate. Against that background, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to... 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Subdued sentiment to hold back European property values The surge in UK economic sentiment appears to be breathing new life into occupier markets outside London and is a key reason why we expect commercial property values in the UK as a whole to do well in... 9th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly The pitfalls in the euro-zone’s road to recovery Although our forecast for euro-zone GDP growth in 2014 of 0.5% is now only a little more downbeat than the consensus estimate, there remain plenty of risks that could yet derail the region's recovery... 6th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Half a dozen key calls for European commercial property in 2014 As 2013 draws to a close, in this Focus we take the opportunity to outline a selection of our key calls for European commercial property markets in 2014, and the thinking that underpins them. 18th December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will France fall into a triple-dip recession? Recent economic data may overstate the threat that the French economy will enter a triple-dip recession in Q4. But they do underline that the country’s recovery in 2014 will be very weak. 18th December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus Is there any value left in French and German property? Commercial property in the euro-zone's two largest economies may appear expensive. But given the market's size, liquidity and perceived safe-haven status, as well as our view that capital values will... 9th December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update French firms will do little to support the recovery The breakdown of France’s Q3 drop in GDP, released last week, underlined the pressure on firms. Without more ambitious structural reforms, weak investment and employment growth mean that French GDP... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
